Legislature(2007 - 2008)BELTZ 211
02/28/2008 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB258 | |
| SB147 | |
| SB113 | |
| SB160 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 113 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 258 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 160 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| = | SB 147 | ||
SB 160-MANDATORY UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE
2:30:25 PM
CHAIR ELLIS announced SB 160 to be up for consideration.
SENATOR FRENCH, sponsor of SB 160, said his comments would
center on the employer contribution, questions that Senator
Bunde had earlier. He said the employer provisions are there to
make sure everyone contributes something to health insurance.
For businesses with zero to 10 full time employees the employer
levy is nothing; for 20 or more employees the levy is 2 percent.
There are three ways to get around the levy; one is to pay 33
percent of the premium costs for your employees, two is to
enroll 25 percent of your employees in an employer sponsored
plan and three, establish a Section 125 plan (about $300 per
employee).
SENATOR FRENCH said the chart before them compares the levy as
it's proposed in SB 160 with California, Massachusetts and
Vermont by income levels. It indicates that California has a
much steeper levy that goes from 1 - 6.5 percent of payroll.
Massachusetts and Vermont crafted compromises with the business
community and decided on one standard fee so they didn't have to
quibble about what the income was and what the numbers of
employees were. If you don't provide health insurance at the job
site in Massachusetts the cost is a flat $295.
He said SB 160 would not fix the Medicare crisis or the problems
brought on by the low reimbursement rates. It doesn't establish
a single payer plan like socialized medicine which it is not. He
emphasized:
Frankly, this is a right-wing solution to the health
care problem that's been crafted by conservative think
tanks and has been adopted by Massachusetts and proved
to enroll more people in insurance and I think that's
the break through the country has been waiting for for
some time.
SENATOR FRENCH said this legislation doesn't address the
shortness of doctors in the state; but it will reduce the
unspoken financial penalty everyone with insurance pays for
people who don't have it.
2:36:29 PM
SENATOR STEVENS asked what impact this would have on Alaska
Native health care system which affects about 20 percent of the
population.
SENATOR FRENCH replied this system will not supplant the Native
health care system. Language on page 6 allows any Native to
participate if they want to; it lists individuals who are not
mandated to participate.
2:38:59 PM
MARIE DARLIN, Capital City Task Force, AARP, supported SB 160.
She said access to health care is important. Those without
health care delay treatment so it is more costly in the long
run. Some of the questions they have, however, are who is
covered, how comprehensive the coverage is, if SB 160 is
efficient and practical and will it result in fairness and
equity. Another concern was how much choice does it really
permits.
2:41:34 PM
MEGH BARNETT, representing herself, supported SB 160.
2:42:00 PM
KATIE SAUNDERS, representing herself, said she lives in Copper
Center and goes to school in Anchorage and that she supported SB
160. Prevention is the best way to approach health care she
said.
2:42:27 PM
MARILYNN RUSSEL, representing herself, said she lives in
Fairbanks and supported SB 160. She is uncomfortable around
people who don't have coverage.
2:43:24 PM
SUE JOHNSON, representing herself, said she lives in Anchorage
and supported SB 160.
2:44:03 PM
SENATOR STEVENS asked Dr. Butler about how this would affect the
Native Health Service. He knows when a Native goes to their
health care facility the first payer is their personal insurance
and then if they don't have it he assumed the Native health
service picked it up. If SB 160 passed would that make the state
become the first payer and would the state actually be
supplanting federal dollars in health care costs. He was
concerned about the loss of funding to Native health care
system.
DR. BUTLER, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health and
Social Services (DHSS), responded that while he wasn't an expert
on Indian health coverage, he could contribute that Alaska
Natives have a poorer health status than non-Natives living in
the state. A recent analysis of the effects of universal
coverage in Taiwan, 10 years before and 10 years after, found
the people with poorest levels of health increased their life
expectancy after universal health care became available. There
was some diminution in the disparities between the groups. This
raises the question of whether or not more access could
potentially address the disparity question.
SENATOR BUNDE commented that the parallel might be with Medicare
where no one wants to take you with Medicare; so you end up with
a health care system you can't use. He didn't know if that would
work the same way with the Native health care system or not.
2:48:04 PM
CHAIR ELLIS said SB 160 would be held for further work and
adjourned the meeting at 2:49:12 PM.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|